


Chlodine: A Treasure Lost

by Tigerlillyruiz



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, F/F, F/M, Not saying who, Post-Canon, Revenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-03-27 11:31:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13879962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tigerlillyruiz/pseuds/Tigerlillyruiz
Summary: Treasure Hunters:Those who physically search for treasure and things of valueTreasure:Noun. 1) accumulated or stored wealth in the form of money, jewels, or other valuables 2) one considered precious or valuable





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is my first FanFiction ever, so i'll accept constructive criticism, but please go easy on me.

  1. * * *




 

     Nadine groaned as she waited. Tonight was supposed to be a special night; she had gotten all dressed up, cooked food, and even had candles on the table in front of her. The only thing missing from this perfect display, was her one and only.

 

    “Where are you Frazer?” she sighed moving over to sit on the couch.

 

     It had been a little over a year since their first job in India. It hadn’t taken long at all for them to become true Partners in every sense of the word, and were very rarely ever apart, however, the last job that they were on had required that they get separate apartments and while it had been completed, they had decided to stay for just a few more days to relax.

 

     Nadine was nervous. Ever the planner, Nadine hadn’t left the apartment in the last twenty-four hours so that everything would be go perfectly. Her hair was free of it usual ponytail and in its natural curly afro, her radiant almond skin had light dusting of soft color added to them in a way that highlighted her features and she wore a flowing blue blouse and black slacks. Eyeing the little box in her hand, she eased back the lid revealing a ring with a ruby at its center surrounded by little white diamonds. She chewed on her bottom lip, closed the box, and decided to expel some of her nervous energy by going to get some fresh air outside.

 

     Opening her door she stopped. In the empty space where people usually had a doormat, sat a large yellow envelope. She picked it up looking at either side of the hallway. She had no idea how long it had been sitting at her doorstep, just the fact alone that something had been dropped of at her door with her name on it set off a whole bunch of alarms in her head. No one was supposed to know where she was.

 

     Quickly closing the door and locking it, she went over to the table and opened the envelope taking out the stack that was inside. Her eyes widened when she discovered that what was inside, were a bunch of photos. She placed the stack neatly on the table staring at the image of herself in a crowd, flipping it over to another of herself getting into a taxi, and another this time with the word “ Traitor” in red over her forehead with a familiar Black, White, and Red logo painted in the corner.

 

     “Shoreline,” she breathed out immediately standing up, leaving the neat pile of Photos on the table. She had seen enough, she didn’t need to see the rest of the photos to know that it was time to leave this place. Quickly, she made her way into the bedroom and placed the few valuables that she had laying around and put them in a small back pack, then into the closet to grab the duffle bag that held literally everything else, deciding to change in the process. Everything was all set, she was ready to go, there was just one thing left for her to do, and it was the most important. Grabbing her phone off the table, where she had left it, she swiped to her favorites, and dialed Chloe’s newest number.

 

     She held the phone up to her ear, and listened as her phone dialed and began to ring. Expecting to hear Chloe’s eager voice, she was momentarily puzzled but not all that surprised when all she got was a short prerecorded message telling her to leave one of her own.

 

     “Frazer, I know that your probably getting ready to come over, but there’s been a change of plans. I need you to stop what your doing, change into something comfortable, start packing, and call me the second that you’re done so that I can go pick you up. I just got a package on my doorstep. Shoreline has me under surveillance; we need to leave this place as soon as possible before things get ugly. Call me, please” She finished as she looked out her window, closing the shutters and sitting back down on the couch.

 

     She sighed. The night was ruined, and the package had her paranoid and overly cautious. She wanted nothing more than to be by Chloe’s side helping her pack so that they could be on their way, but with a target on her back, it was for the best that she kept her distance until they could disappear together. She sat quietly with a silencer pistol in her hands, and her holsters fully stocked, for as long as she could, repeatedly glancing at her watch, before she tried calling again, once again getting the recording. Her stomach was in knots, and her leg started to involuntarily bob up and down, so she resigned herself to pacing for a while. As she paced, her eyes kept landing on the pile of photos on the table. She sighed knowing that it was in her best interest to look them over to see if there were any repeated angles or maybe even a reflection or two in the pictures, anything that could give them an advantage or give away a location. Slowly she sat back down on the chair and flipped threw the pictures, scrutinizing each with determined eyes.

 

     Having almost finished going threw the pile; she was beginning to loose hope. There were only six pictures left, and so far she had found nothing. Turning over the next picture, her breath hitched. This one was different. This one was of both her and Chloe and it had the word “Payback” written on it in thick red letters. Swiftly she spread out the remaining pictures on the table. What she saw made her heart stop, drop to the floor, and hammer against her chest all at the same time.

 

  * Picture 1: Her and Chloe “PAYBACK”.
  * Picture 2: Her and Chloe “IS”.
  * Picture 3: Her and Chloe holding hands “A”.
  * Picture 4: Her and Chloe hugging “BITCH”
  * Picture 5: Her and Chloe kissing “YOURS!”
  * Picture 6: Chloe by herself crossed out with a big red “X”



 

     She shot out of her chair, and immediately dialed Chloe, cursing under her breath with each unanswered ring. “no…shit…FoK FOK!” There was no answer and what little cool she had left evaporated in an instant. She grabbed her things and ran to the 4x4 she had parked outside and sped off to Chloe’s apartment.

 

     Once there, she parked the car and took the stairs two and three at a time to get to her floor. She tried to calm her racing heart at the sight of the open door, and walked in with her gun at the ready. Taking in the scene before her, she knew she was too late. Squatting down she holstered her weapon and with a shaky hand she picked up a necklace and turned it over in her hand. The necklace was a combination of red and blue with a wooden carved elephant in the center, Nadine had given it to her as a reminder of the first job that had brought them together, and it had never left Chloe’s neck since then. When she realized that her hand had been painted red with blood, tears filled the corners of her eyes and she clenched her jaw fists balled at her sides as her hope began to wither and die. Blinking back the tears, she looked around. Chloe had put up a pretty good fight; there were a few bodies in the room, lifeless, bloody, and fresh. It hadn’t been that long. Frantically she searched the apartment praying that she didn’t find Chloe’s lifeless remains amongst them. Stepping into the bedroom, her eyes landed on the bed, where another yellow envelope sat for her, waiting to be opened.

 

     She took the package into her hands and ripped open the lid. Inside there was a single note, a phone, and a picture. The note read;

 

     ““We have your Bitch. We’ll be in touch once we brake her.” –Shoreline”

 

     The note was balled the instant it was done being read, while the phone was pocketed for later. She looked at the picture in her hands, and closed her eyes to it. It was one of Chloe’s still face, there was blood under her head, and there was a thick layer of tape wrapped around her mouth: one thing was clear, it had been taken while she was lying on the floor unconscious after whatever had transpired here. Nadine could see the same pool of blood on the floor off to her right. She took a much needed steadying breath. She knew what she needed to do, and there was no time to waste. She wasn’t going to wait for the new phone to ring. With a determined frown, She packet up everything that Chloe held precious and was on her way. It was time to get to work. She was going to get her back, even if it was the very last thing she did.

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

     Chloe awoke with a groan and a pounding at the base of her head. “ _Uuugh…What happened”_ She thought, blinking repeatedly, trying to adjust to the darkness, only to realize that she was blindfolded and her mouth was tapped over. “ _Great_ ”. She tried to move her hands experimentally, and as she expected her hands were bound. “ _Perfect, gagged, bound, and blindfolded…not exactly how I envisioned the night going”_ She tried twisting her wrist to see if she could get out of the binds that held her. “ _Tape and rope. Of course they start learning now that I’m alone. I guess I’ve picked one too many of their locks…I’m so sorry China, it doesn’t look like I’m going to make it for dinner”_

 

     “Hey! I think she’s waking up!”

 

     “Deal with it!”

 

     All at once she was straddled and felt two strong hands take hold of her neck causing her to jerk automatically as she tried to break the hold she was in. She squirmed and bucked as hard as she could, but with the way she was bound it was of no use. She struggled to breath out of her nose for as long as she could, but her consciousness was starting to fade. If these moments were going to be her last, there was only one thing she wanted to think about.

 

     It took no effort conjuring up Nadine’s smiling face in her mind’s eye, and to recall the way it felt to be held in her strong arms and kiss those soft lips. _”I love you Nadine. “_ was the last thought she had before the darkness reclaimed her as its own.

 

_

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my first pic, so let me know what you all think BD  
> Surprise !!!! Chapter 2 !!!!

 

* * *

 

     It didn’t take long for Nadine to track down Shoreline, but anything could have happened in those forty-eight hours. Their numbers were starting to dwindle, and they were accepting any and every job offer that they could just to earn some money and be “Profitable”. The remains of her father’s old company now having to take up residence in an old warehouse, but she honestly couldn’t care less about that or them anymore. Her days as a mercenary were over. She was a treasure hunter now, and hidden somewhere over this wall inside that building was the biggest treasure of them all. Shoreline had taken her heart. She was here to get it back. She was here to get her back. She looked up the side of the wall, taking a deep breath she slipped her hand in a small crevice and started to climb. This was it. “ _I’m coming Chloe.”_

 

* * *

 

     Chloe winced, letting out a shaking breath. She had forgotten what it could be like to be in this kind of a situation. She hadn’t needed to worry since the day that she had met Nadine. She had gone through all this before though, in the past, the imprisonment, the beatings, and the starvation, she could handle it all. But she hadn’t anticipated how being forced to stay away from Nadine would affect her. With every second, it was breaking her, stealing away her hope, her self-confidence, zapping away all her strength, and removing her will to live. Conjuring up the memories of their life together was the only thing keeping her sane. It was utter torture both physically and mentally, not being able to be by her side, but as long as they still had her it meant that Nadine was safe, and that was all that mattered. She was all that mattered.

 

     She looked around at the dark and dirty cell that had become her home for the past two days. She was in pain, but she was positive she’d been through worse. Her body was undoubtedly littered with bruises, and she was certain that she had a broken rib or two with the way it hurt to simply breathe in. her ankles and wrists where cut and raw from her repeated attempts at trying to get free of her binds, Not that she had had any luck. every time she had made some progress on getting free, someone would come in and rebind her. She sighed curling in on herself in the corner, at least she wasn’t gagged and blindfolded anymore.

 

     She closed her eyes, hoping to be whisked away by her dreams, only for the door to be slammed open making her curl into herself further. This time, it was two men. She struggled as they seized her by the arms with bruising force and dragged her away.

 

     “Where are we going? Where are you taking me?” she questioned continuously, hallway after hallway, but there was no reply. Then she was violently tossed inside the room.

 

     “Finally, The guest of honor has arrived.”

 

     Chloe turned as best as she could to face the stranger before her. Her captor was about her height and just as muscular as Nadine with black hair and eyes that somehow shown yellow as they bore into her. He wore a sweat stained tan shirt and green pants with a knife secured on his belt, and had a holster hanging from his shoulder at his side.

 

     “Funny, where I’m from we don’t treat our honored guests like this,” she retorted, completely unfazed.

 

     He walked around her like a predator circling its prey, as his eyes raked over every inch of her body. “You know, while Nadine was our leader, she never showed any interest in any of us, Even when we did. Then we betrayed her and she left. We didn’t follow or kill her because she didn’t interfere in our dealings, and then all of the sudden, one day we cross paths again, and this time she is accompanying a woman. You. Of course we think nothing of it, what kind of damage can two fragile women cause. And surprise, not only not only did you two take the treasure, but you both singlehandedly wiped out most of our men, and you also killed our new leader. ...Then like a plague you keep crossing our path and take us out little by little AND all WHILE WEARIG RED!” he practically foamed, kicking her repeatedly, taking a deep breath to regain some semblance of control threading his fingers through his hair as she tried to ride out the coughing fit he’d sent her in. “So we decided to be proactive, and see what made you two so… special. We followed you from a distance, and to our surprise, we discover that all this time she was a lesbian. It all made sense after that. The closer we watched, the more we came to realize, that she had become attached to you so….”

 

     “So you decided to take me and anger the single person who could bring your whole operation to its knees…” Chloe interrupted, “Yeah that seems sooo smart”

 

     He kicked her again “So I had my men wait till you were both separated. I am explaining this, because I am going to kill you. You will be her undoing.” He crouched over her taking her jaw with brutal force. Leaning in closer he continued looking over her again, his halitosis washing over her face making her nose crinkle in disgust. “It’s easy to see why she likes you, it’s a shame that I’m going to have to kill you, you would make an excellent trophy” He smirked licking his lips. “This is going to be so much fun,” he grinned, only for Chloe to head-butt him in the face, breaking his nose. “Why You Little…” He took her by the neck and flung her across the room towards a desk. “Now I’m defiantly going to enjoy this,” he practically purred. Inching closer to her, he once again continued, “Why don’t I tell you what I have planned, I find that it makes what follows a lot more enjoyable, you get to see the fear in their eyes because they know what is about to come, and can imagine how it will happen.”

 

     “Does my answer really matter because,... and this is just a hunch, but I’m betting that it doesn’t matter and you are just going to continue prattling on anyway,” she retorted, rolling her eyes as she continued to manage her breathing.

 

     “You’re right, I could care less what you want.” He grabbed the knife sheathed at his side, and continued. “Well, first I’m going to continue to beat you, until you are utterly exhausted. Then I’m going to strip you and spray paint our logo onto your body. Once that is done, I’m going to stab you and call your bitch of a girlfriend, and have her listen as I ravish your body until you bleed out.”

 

     Chloe couldn’t conceal her shock and fear, as she began to tremble. She could tell that he wasn’t lying. _“He is defiantly psychotic”_ she could see the pleasure in his eyes more clearly with every step that he took in her direction.

 

     “Can you imaging the look on her face as she sees your mangled remains with our logo?”

 

     “No,” she whispered, trying to squirm away from him.

 

* * *

 

 

     Nadine was on a warpath, making her way down to the cells where Chloe was supposedly being held. She had expertly made her way in and through the facility without being detected, using the silencing pistols to quietly take down those that stood in the way of her and Chloe, easily stashing the bodies in random closets, or just dragging them out of sight. Finally she made it to the cell room, and unlocked the door, using the key that she had just plucked from the newly deceased guard’s belt, cursing when all she found was another empty room. “Fok! They moved her!”

 

     Suddenly there was a ringing, startling her from her anger. She looked down and realized that the phone, which had been left for her at Chloe’s apartment, was what was causing the noise. Her gut churned, she had planned to get to Chloe before the cursed device ever rang out. She had failed her…again. After a slight hesitation, she answered it. “Where is she?!” she demanded, not even trying to hide the anger seeping its way into her voice, as she slipped in some headphones placing a single bud in her ear, and made her way out of the cell room.

 

     “Nadine Ross, is that any way to be speaking to the man that holds your girlfriend’s life in his hands?” he questioned, with complete and utter amusement, “you know I have her right here with me, in my personal chamber.”

 

     That was all she needed to hear, to know which direction to head to. She had studied the blueprints long enough, it wasn’t that far, she just had to keep him talking long enough to get there and put a stop to whatever it was that he had planned. “What do you want for her? I…I’ll do anything, just please don’t hurt her.”

 

     “I never thought that I would live to see the day that Nadine Ross begged. I must say I really do like the sound of it… however, I didn’t call to negotiate with you.”

 

     That made her stop dead in her tracks, as her blood ran cold. “Wha…What do you mean?” she stuttered fearing the worst.

 

     He chuckled, “Did you really think that after all your traitorous acts against us that we would really just give her back to you and let you both live out your happily ever after? Come now Nadine, you can’t be that naïve. No, I’m calling so that I can tell you what I’ve done, what I plan to do, and have you listen in as I carry it out. … I’m calling, so you can listen to her die…and imagine it in your dreams, but don’t worry I’ll also send you a video of her final days seeing as how I don’t know how imaginative you can be,” he explained.

 

     She was running now, trying to prevent her worst nightmare from becoming reality. She didn’t care if she was spotted. Stealth be dammed. “Don’t you dare touch her!” she growled out.

 

     “Oh, but I already have. You see I’ve been beating her for the last few hours. She is currently lying at my feet barely able to move at all, but don’t worry I didn’t touch her pretty face.”

 

     “You have no idea of the magnitude of the mistake you’ve made,” Nadine seethed, rounding a corner and climbing some stairs.

 

      Ignoring her, he continued bending over Chloe’s prone body, knife in hand, removing the binds from her hands and unceremoniously rolling her over. Once again using the knife, he shredded away her clothes, nicking her in the process a few times. Grabbing a stencil, and some spray paint, he marked her with their logo right over her left breast.

 

     “I just finished stripping her of her clothes, I’ll be removing her under garments next.”

 

     “You Bastard!”

 

     Nadine pushed her legs to go faster, her heart racing in her chest. She was seized from behind. Wasting no time, her attacker was flung over her head and shot in his. She was almost there.

 

     Raising the knife in his dominant left hand, “But first,” he brought it down with great force sheathing it using Chloe’s body, all the way to the hilt, involuntarily making her cry out in pain. He pulled it out this time sheathing it in its proper place around his belt.

 

     Nadine’s heart clenched. She was so close, she hadn’t just heard Chloe’s cries through the phone, she could hear them for real, and it was propelling her faster than she’d ever gone before. She could see the door.

 

     “Now I’m going to Fuck her till she dies!”

 

     “NO!”

 

     As the door burst open, he pulled his gun and aimed it at Chloe, who lay at his feet stripped down to her undergarments, her once light olive-colored skin now bloodied and bruised. She was branded with their logo, in spray paint, and was clutching a deep stab wound on the lower right side of her torso.

 

     Nadine’s breath hitched at the sight. Honey amber eyes met silvery blue, causing the second to tear. She kept her gun trained solely on the guy with his pants at his ankles and gun poised to kill the one thing that mattered to her. “Put it down or ill take you down,” she growled out, eyes alight with a burning fire, a dragon prepared to stop at nothing to protect her treasure.

 

     “No, you see I think that you should put yours down, before I shoot your beloved. This trigger is very sensitive, the slightest bit of pressure, and she’ll be gone in an instant, and if you shoot me my finger just might slip,” he grinned

 

     Nadine let her gaze fall on Chloe, her eyes immediately softening. Her chest, stomach, and spine clenched at the sight. She couldn’t risk it, she couldn’t risk her, and so she dropped her gun and slid it across the room away from everyone’s reach.

 

     He grinned, at her surrender, redirecting his aim in her direction.

 

     “NO! NADINE!!”

 

     There was a yell, and then two shots rang out in the room. Nadine fell to her knees....

 

* * *

 

     It had all happened so fast.... Chloe could see the murderous intent in this man’s eyes as he was changing his target.

 

     “NO! NADINE!!” She yelled, removing her hands from her bleeding side. She grabbed the knife from its spot on his pants, and without hesitation plunged it into his closest foot, making him howl in pain.

 

     Nadine, seeing her opportunity, and knowing what was about to happen, quickly grabbed the gun she had at her back, and pulled the trigger, …but so had he.

 

     When Chloe had stabbed him, he had instinctually switched targets and fired. Chloe’s head had jerked to the side, her eyes had closed, and blood had begun pooling under it. Her body had gone completely slack….

 

     Nadine fell to her knees, one hand clutching her chest and the other over her mouth as tears began to cascade from her eyes, her gun momentarily forgotten.

 

     “no…” She all but breathed out “NO!”

 

     From her position on the floor, she bolted on all fours to Chloe’s side. With shaking hands, she carefully held the edges of her face.

 

     “Nononono …Come on Chloe… you can’t leave me like this! Please say something!” But there was no reply. “P…Please” she begged, unable to stop the flow of tears from her eyes “I…I can’t do this without you Chloe…Please. I…I love you…” When there was still no reply, she broke down, carefully picked her up, and cradled Chloe’s body close as she cried.

 

     Nadine rocked in place, crying into the chest of the unmoving body that she held in her arms. Her Chloe was gone, and with her so went her future, her happiness, her reason for… for everything. …. It was all gone. … She was gone...

 

     “Liefie please… my life is meaningless without you,” she croaked out “You are my treasure Chloe... I need you… Come back to me Liefie…”she tried again voice breaking resting her head on Chloe’s chest...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * I'd like to thank TheTruthHertz for being my amazing beta reader. BD!!!  
> THANK YOU !!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooo!!! Chapter 3 !!!!!!
> 
>  
> 
> Previously......
> 
> Nadine rocked in place, crying into the chest of the unmoving body that she held in her arms. Her Chloe was gone, and with her so went her future, her happiness, her reason for… for everything. …. It was all gone. … She was gone...
> 
>  
> 
> “Liefie please… my life is meaningless without you,” she croaked out “You are my treasure Chloe... I need you… Come back to me Liefie…”she tried again voice breaking resting her head on Chloe’s chest...

* * *

 

     And that was when she heard it, it was faint, but there was no mistaking it, Chloe’s heart was still beating for her. She was Alive!. “Chloe!. I’m here Chloe! Just stay with me.” She gently laid her back down and ran over to the foot of the bed, taking the two folded blankets, bringing them over as fast as she could. She Opened up the first blanket, and ripped it in half. She folded over the first half and secured it around Chloe’s injured torso in an attempt to slow the bleeding. Then, using the second half, with careful hesitant hands she began to wipe away the blood still seeping from Chloe’s head, trying to access how much damage had been done.

 

     Thankfully, When Nadine had pulled the trigger; it had thrown off his aim. The bullet that he had fired had only succeeded in grazing the left side of her head, knocking her out cold. She was relieved to say the least, but even a graze to the head was bad, and she had no way of knowing the full extent of the damage that he had caused her, not to mention that stab wound. She had to get her out of here and looked at as soon as possible before she all but bled out right in front of her. With the second blanket, she unfolded it and reverently covered Chloe’s exposed battered body. Gathering her up in her arms once again paying no mind to the way that her clothes were being stained red in the process.

 

     “I’ve got you Chloe... I’m so sorry. This should never have happened to you. I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” she promised placing her on the bed. She went over to the barred window to take a look outside. With Chloe in no condition to walk on her own and them being in a different part of the warehouse, her original exit plan was gone. She fished out an earpiece from the pocket of her cargo pants and discarded the unnecessary phone in the process.

 

     “Drake can you hear me?” she asked, regaining her composure and collecting her weapons as she wiped away at her tears.

 

     Sam’s voice crackled through the device, “Which one of us are you talking to?”

 

            Nadine let out a shaking breath, looking over at Chloe. She didn’t have time for this, she was going to need every second she could get to save Chloe, just because she had her didn’t mean that she was out of the woods just yet.

 

     Frustrated, angered, and worried, she replied, “Does it matter?! You’re all Drake, All three of you! I Have Chloe, but its bad and she is unconscious and we are in a different part of the building, and I can’t risk making my way back through it with her like this, we wouldn’t stand a chance. What are your positions?”

 

     The earpiece sparked to life again, this time with Nathan’s voice. “Sam and I are setting up the last of the charges, then we will be on our way out of here.”

 

     “Any complications?” she asked. She was talking to the Drake brothers after all.

 

     “None so far but the night is young,” Sam replied. As if on queue, gunfire rang out. “Shit!”

 

     “I’ve finished setting the charges on the outside of the building and I am back with the cars. What’s your position, maybe I can help get you and Chloe out while Nate and Sam have everyone distracted,” came Elena’s voice.

 

     “I’m on the first floor of the building in the Commander’s quarters. If you can get the 4x4 over here and hook the winch up to the bars on the window, I can set up some charges in the corners to weaken the wall, and we can make our own exit out of here. After that we can detonate the charges and finally rid ourselves of Shoreline once and for all,” Nadine relayed as she started setting up the charges now that she was done barricading the door with what she could find in the room around her.

 

     “Sounds like a plan. I’m on my way.”

 

     “Hey what about us we are still in here,” Sam whined.

 

     Nadine rolled her eyes, “As Annoying as you are, I think you two will be just fine. Both of you always seem to manage to make it out of these kind of situations alive.”

 

     Laughter rang out through the earpiece. “She does have a point.”

 

     Nathan let out a fake gasp. “My own wife… Fine we can make it to the other vehicle on our own then we can meet up at the next location, but please try to wait to detonate the explosives after we have left the building.”

 

     Nadine sat there by Chloe’s side, one hand putting more pressure on the deep wound in her side and the other caressing Chloe’s face with feather light touches. Intently she stared at her closed eyes just wishing they would open.

 

     “Fight for me Chloe,” she whispered placing a gentle kiss to the uninjured side of Chloe’s head, turning around to the sound of the 4x4 outside.

 

     Elena’s blond hair came into view before anything else as she attached the winch to the bars. “How’s she doing?”

 

     “It’s bad,” Nadine sighed. “We need to get her out of here before she dies of blood loss.”

 

     The fear, guilt, and worry were all very evident in Nadine’s voice. Elena nodded.

 

     “Okay I’m all set up. Once I get this car in reverse go a head and blow the charges.”

 

     Nadine moved from her position and placed herself protectively over Chloe’s body before setting of the explosives. As soon as the charges went of, the wall gave way. Their exit was now open. Quickly and carefully she carried Chloe to the 4x4 saying by Chloe’s side in the bed of the car.

 

     The earpiece came to life again Nate’s voice ringing in their ears “We’re out do it now!”

 

     Without hesitation Nadine flipped the switch and watched as the remains of her father’s company went up in literal flames as they sped off into the night “ _good riddance_ ” She thought, turning her gaze to something more important. Nadine kept her hands on Chloe’s side, slowing the flow of blood and keeping an ever-vigilant eye on her partner’s condition, making sure she still had a pulse every few seconds. “Do you remember how to get there?!” she asked her eyes never leaving Chloe’s slow almost imperceptible rising and falling chest, in case that vital movement stopped.

 

     “I know where I’m going, you just focus on keeping Chloe alive until we get there!” Elena shouted over the roaring sound of the engine.

 

* * *

 

     Nadine was in a secret underground facility; Nathan, Elena and Sam had already left, leaving her alone with Chloe. She sat silently, keeping a firm grip on Chloe’s cold limp hand. Chloe’s long raven hair was out of its ponytail and brushed over her right shoulder. Nadine closed her eyes. The horrible memory of her love’s body having to be defibrillated still very fresh in her mind. The sound of Chloe’s vitals flat lining, still lingered in her ears. The shear panic that had flooded her system, and how utterly useless she had felt still hadn’t gone away. How it felt like her whole world was crumbling around her every time Chloe’s body was shocked, and how it felt like her own was being shocked in turn.

 

     Her cheeks were tear stained, and her appearance was utterly haggard. In her open hand she held the little velvet-layered box. The lid was open and she was staring at the ring inside. Closing her eyes again, she could see Chloe getting shot, and could remember what it had felt like in the moments afterwards when she thought she was too late. She wasn’t going to let Chloe slip through her fingers. As soon as Chloe woke up and healed she wasn’t going to hesitate in asking for her hand and she was never going to leave her side again. If only a simple kiss could wake her sleeping beauty. Pocketing the ring, she sat and waited…

* * *

 

 

                 The sound of a constant beeping invaded the forefront of Chloe’s mind, pulling her from the darkness she was shrouded in, as she slowly started to regain consciousness…

 

            “…Chloe?” Nadine’s worried face briefly came into view, before she fell back into the darkness…

 

            Chloe groaned squeezing the warmth that had attached itself to her hand, bringing her out of the darkness. It was so familiar. … “Ch ... China?” she croaked out, setting her throat aflame.

 

            “I’m here Chloe. I’m right here.”

 

            Chloe’s eyes opened expecting to see the standard hospital setup around her, instead, she was surprised to see what appeared to be the inside of a lavish beach house. She could hear the calming sound of the waves in the background and smell the salt of the sea in the air. “Wh… Where?” she tried to get out.

 

            “Here,” Nadine offered, helping her down the much needed glass of water. “We are off the grid on a piece of property that I own.” When Chloe gave her a questioning look Nadine continued, “Okay so it’s an island that my father purchased when Shoreline was under his command.”

 

            “Thank you Love,” Chloe tiredly smiled.

 

            “Ja… I’m just glad I didn’t loose you, and that you’re finally awake,” Nadine admitted squeezing her hand in an attempt to reassure her self that this wasn’t just a cruel dream.

 

            “How long?”

 

            Nadine frowned. “A month. You’ve been in a coma.”

 

            Chloe’s eyes widened “A month?” she repeated in disbelief. “We’re going to need to find some treasure immediately to pay for everything!”

 

            “Don’t worry about it. It’s been taken care of.”

 

            “How?”

 

            Nadine shrugged, “a surgeon friend of mine owed me a couple of favors. After you were stable enough to transport, I brought you here.”

 

            “And Shoreline?”

 

          “Its probably a pile of ashes by now.” At Chloe’s confusion she elaborated further. “When I went looking for you, I wanted to make sure that I actually got you out alive. It would have been foolish of me to go in there alone, but I also wanted to be rid of Shoreline once and for all. So I called Nathan and Sam Drake. Who else would you call if you wanted to leave destruction in your wake, and somehow manage to make it out alive at the same time?” She shrugged continuing. “After I had explained the situation, they all agreed to help, even Elena. After I had a team put together, all I had to do was set a plan, have them plant a few explosives, and now we’re here,” Nadine explained.

 

            “Wow, … so let me get this straight, you willingly invited Sam and Nate into your life, and you got along?” Chloe asked in shocked disbelief.

 

            “Ja, well your life was on the line, we barely got you out of there as it is.”

 

            “How bad was it?”

 

            “You were shot in the head, concussed, you had bruised and broken ribs, not to mention your stab wound and all the blunt force trauma from all the beatings. The combination of the blood loss, trauma and shock if it all put you in the coma. If you had been under any longer we would have had to put in a feeding tube in your stomach instead of just using this IV. Which reminds me, you must be starving. I can make you some broth. Oh! I need to page the doctor!”

 

            Chloe’s could see the exhaustion and worry etched into Nadine’s face and stitched within every syllable as she spoke. “That bad huh? Looks like you’ve saved me again Love. I guess our dinner plans are about a month late…What about my stuff?”

 

            “I gathered it all and brought it here.”

 

            “There’s something I need,” she said trying to get up, her vitals spiking and alarming Nadine, who flew out of her chair and gently pushed her back down into the bed.

 

            “I can get it. What do you need?”

 

            “There’s an envelope in my bag, it has ‘China’ written on the outside.”

 

            “Chloe’s I don’t really think now is the time, why don’t I go make you that bro…” Chloe tried getting up again, and Nadine surged to her feet. “Okay okay I’ll get it, just please don’t move I don’t wan you to hurt yourself. Eish…”

 

In a few minutes, Nadine came back with the envelope in hand, and Chloe had scooted over in the bed. “Open it China.”

 

            Nadine did as she was told, taking out a set of pictures from all of their adventures together, starting with pictures from India, and ending with a card that had the words ‘our next adventure’ written on it. Lifting a brow Nadine turned to face Chloe.

 

            “Turn it around love,” Chloe smiled.

 

            Nadine turned around the thick card, and taped to the back was a ring, a sapphire at its center, surrounded by little white diamonds.

 

            “Will you be my _Partner_ China?” Chloe asked.

 

            Nadine’s shock face morphed into one of unbridled joy. “On one condition.”

 

            “Name it.”

 

            Nadine pulled out the velvet box from her pocket presenting it to Chloe. “You agree to marry me first.”

 

           Chloe smiled. “Deal. Now get over here and kiss me before I try to tackle you myself.”

 

           Nadine obliged eagerly, kissing her softly and repeatedly, careful not to hurt Chloe or aggravate any of her injuries, letting all her love, worry, and longing seep into it. Pulling away, a few tears escaped her as she took Chloe’s face in her hand looking her straight in the eyes.

 

          “You scared the shit out of me…” kissing her again, “I Thought I’d lost you…” she added, voice quivering.

 

          “I never thought id see you again,” Chloe admitted. Patting the bed she asked, “Will you hold me?”

 

         Wordlessly Nadine complied moving onto the bed next to Chloe, allowing her to rest her head on her chest, holding her close. They both needed this, relaxing into the comforting embrace. Chloe felt Nadine chuckle, and looked up into those perfect honey amber eyes.

 

        “What?” she asked with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

 

       “I swear only you would propose after a month long coma,” Nadine snickered out, deliriously happy that this was actually happening.

 

      Chloe mocked offence, “Well only you would reply to a proposal with one of your own, I mean really its usually a yes or no question.”

 

     They both laughed for a while, then settled into silence, both clinging to each other, not wanting to loose each other again.

 

      Chloe broke the silence first. “Something’s been bothering me, the whole time that guy held me captive, I didn’t hear a name.”

 

      Nadine cocked an eyebrow. “You want to know his name?”

 

      “I know Shoreline is gone, I just need closure,” she replied, unable to meet her gaze.

 

     At this, Nadine replied without hesitation, knowing Chloe needed an answer to help her heal. “His name was Bob.”

 

     “Bob. … The bad guys name was Bob.” The both blinked sharing a second of silence before laughing together.

 

     “Ready for your meal yet?” Nadine asked, once the laughter had finally subsided.

 

     “Not yet, will you just stay here holding me a while longer… and could you sing to me.”

 

      Nadine smiled rolling her eyes ”net vir jou my Liefie. ” Nadine’s voice filled the air, mixing beautifully with the rolling sounds of the ocean around them. In each other’s arms, they were home.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * ”net vir jou my Liefie. ” = “Only for you my love”
> 
> * I'd like to thank TheTruthHertz for being my amazing beta reader. BD!!!  
> THANK YOU !!!
> 
> * let me know what you all think so I can improve B)

**Author's Note:**

> * I'd like to thank TheTruthHertz for being my amazing beta reader. BD!!!  
> THANK YOU !!!!


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